Unforgiven Time
by merlot56
Summary: When romance meets unavoidable responsibility... When his father passed away, Zoro was left with no choice but to take over a responsibility that only further pushed him away from the only love of his life.. Until he found out that everything was a set up
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Yo mina-san~~ Welcome to my very first story on One Piece! I haven't wrote in English for half a decade (yes, half a decade.. now that's a looong time).. This story is leaning towards slightly dark, mystery, and an entire set up that will slowly uncover itself.

Disclaimer: I do _not_ own any characters from One Piece.. Let me repeat, do _not_ own.. (Oh how I wish I did, my Zoro-sama!) All characters and their related solely belong to Oda-Sensei! The only thing that belongs to the writer, me, is the plot of the story.

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

He watched as she kindly collected the final bill from the last customer of the night, cleaned off the coffee cups off the table, and disappeared behind the counter -possibly into the kitchen to finish off the clean up before store closing.

He sank into the backseat of the car, and rested his head on the headrest. While still keeping an eye on the store, he folded one arm in front of his chest, while the other wrapped around his waist, and sighed out of exhaustion. And just then, the lights inside the coffee shop was dimmed, a slim silhouette came out of the front entrance. He kept his position as she walked past the vehicle.

He heard his driver shift in the his seat slightly, and sensed the uncertainty from the man. "Sir? Shall I drive you back home? You don't look so good."

He smirked inside while keeping a neutral expression. He wondered how badly does he look right now. The injury from a knife slash earlier tonight is throbbing in pain, and although it was bandaged up right away, he now can feel a wetness seeping through. His vision is slowing getting blurred, and his head feeling more than slightly heavy. When was the last time he slept?

From the rear-view mirror, he saw her boarding onto the public bus heading towards her residential place. He closed his eyes with fatigue, "Home sounds good."

After helping Robin carrying a half conscious Zoro into the house, Usopp waited in the living room while Robin took care of Zoro's wound.

He stood quietly in the living room. It was half past midnight, all the servants were sent to bed already. The only sound present in the grand Victorian-Era living room was from the old grandfather clock, "tik-tok".

Usopp found himself unconsciously counting the ticking of the clock, until he heard footsteps descending from the winding staircase.

He looked up to see Robin still in her black evening robe, her sleek black hair loosely clipped behind her head.

"Is he asleep?"Robin kindly smiled and nodded while she found herself a place on the couch, and gestured him to have a seat as well.

Usopp took a deep breath, clenching and releasing his fists a couple of times before he gather his voice and spoke, "Miss Robin, it is my deepest apologies that I did not do my job to protect Roronoa Sir from danger tonight. And it is also a shame that I could not convince him to go to a hospital right after."

Robin brushed her bangs away from her eyes, and smiled, "There is no need for an apology, Mr. Usopp. After all, this is Roronoa we are talking about. I would be more worried if one day you were able to convince the man away from his decisions."

She paused, and crossed her right leg on top of left. She lowered her head before continuing, "He went to see her again."

Usopp was not sure if the question… was directed at him, because it sounded more of a statement, as if Robin was talking to herself. Nevertheless, he answered, "Yes, ma'am."

She brought her hand up to bring her hair behind her ear, "How often does he go?"

Usopp tried to read her facial expression, but her bangs shadowed her eyes, and the hand paused in midair and coincidently covered half of her face. He gave the question a quick thought, and answered in a neutral tone, "Every day ma'am."

Usopp thought he heard a sigh, but then he wasn't so sure because it was so light.

Robin looked at Usopp with her big dark eyes, "Thank you, Mr. Usopp."

Usopp looked startled. He once again doesn't know how to respond to such remark. There was nothing he had done today to be thanked for, and very much less so from Robin.

He stood up, and bowed slightly, "It is getting late, Miss Robin." And on that note, he turned, said his goodbye, and got into the car he parked in the wide semi-circular driveway.

After seeing Usopp closing the front door behind him, Robin slowly rose from the couch, and made her way back upstairs to the bedrooms.

She quietly stood outside with her head slightly bowed, and finally reached for the handle, turned and opened the door.

The door opened with a slight creaking sound; the light from the hall way spread into the room and shone onto the figure lying in bed.

He is sleeping on his side with his back against the door. She's able to see the slight rise and of his shoulders along withhis steady breathing.

Robin carefully walked into the room, and stopped at the side of the bed. She studied his sleeping face -unlike when he's awake, which has a face of defense, attack, authority, and danger; right now, he is at peace, and all his facial features relaxed, and calmed… almost, vulnerable.

Robin bent down to place a hand on Zoro's forehead, and only withdrew with relieve when she confirmed he did not have a fever from his injury.

She looked at his sleeping feature one last time, and sighed ever so gently before leaving the room, and closing the door behind her.

Inside.

As soon as the last bit of light was sealed outside of this room, Zoro slowly opened his eyes.

His brows now furrowing.

He took the hand under the blanket out, and a stream of light filled the room. On the lighting screen, he again reads the message he received just before Robin walked in.

"Tonight was my last day at the café."

And that was all she gave him.

Zoro stared at the cell phone screen with a lot of mixed feelings inside him. And finally he turned off the phone screen. The room returned to darkness.

He pressed on the wound on his waist, and sighed helplessly.

He doesn't know how long it has been before he finally drifted off to sleep, but he murmured only one name that night.

"Nami…"

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><p>Awesome! You reached the end of the first chapter! Woohoo!<br>So.. what do you think so far? Drop me a line or two!  
>Arigatou ne~!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Hello again~ ^^ First I want to take this moment and give a _big_ "thank you" too all of my reviewers:  
><span>fmdevi<span>l - my very dear first reviewer, your words are a source of incredible encouragement to me! It was unexpected to have someone review my story on the first day of its posting! =] Thank you very much for your support!  
><span>StrangelyEnough<span> - hahah thank you for your words of encouragement~ =] I'll try my best to keep up with the rate. And the last thing I want to do is to abandon a story.. =] so no need to worry ^^  
><span>KimuraMinami<span> - wahahaha~~~ Thank you for sticking and reading the entire chapter even when you found out it's an AU story~ (I mean.. really? I didn't state it's an AU story? XP)

_Ahh yes, did I forget to say this is an AU story? *ahem* Something would be important to the readers, haha~ Well there you are, second chapter of Unforgiven Time~ Enjoy =]_

**Disclaimer: **I mean seriously, I don't own any characters from One Piece, and if I did, to say I would be overjoyed is an understatement, lol.

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

While drying her hair with a towel, Nojiko stepped out of the shower. She paused as she thought she heard sound from the television in the living room, and sighed.

"What happened this time, Nami?" Nojiko asked as she walked into the living room. Nami was lying on the couch, flipping through the channels on TV. Her expression is hard to read in the dim room, with only lights shining from the television.  
>Nami shrugged, and said, "I quit."<p>

Nojiko raised her eyebrows in the calmness of Nami's tone, "What do you mean… you quit? It took you a while to find such a job, don't say it as if it was none of your business!"  
>Nami tensed, and suddenly turned off the television. The room returned to darkness.<br>After a while, she said in a low but firm voice, "I don't need charity."

Then followed by silence.

Nojiko flicked on the living room light, and sat herself down beside Nami.

She pondered on what would be the best thing to say at this moment, and decided on asking, "Would you like to move back here and stay with me in the mean while?"  
>Nami lowered her head, and shook her head, "I have an interview set up for tomorrow at news centre."<br>Nojiko smiled, "Ah, efficiency."  
>Her smile disappeared when she sense the silence from Nami sinking deeper.<p>

"He's ... just trying to help." Nojiko said in a quiet voice.  
>Nami leaned closer to Nojiko, and rested her head on her sister's shoulder while curling herself into a tight ball, "…. Nojiko, what should I do…. It's been 6 months… I can't help but miss him.."<br>Nojiko sighed as she felt her shoulder slowly getting wet.  
>She patted on Nami's head and said no more.<p>

~*~  
>Nami took a deep breath as she looked up at the tall glassy building in front of her.<p>

"This is not charity, but a friend of mine is looking for an assistant. This is his card, go talk to him tomorrow before your interview."

She remembered what Nojiko said last night before they went to bed. She looked down at the card Nojiko gave her, and whispered to herself… "… News media… eh?"  
>As if made a decision, Nami drew a confident smile on her face, and took her first step towards the reception. In a friendly and professional voice, she requested, "Excuse me. I have an appointment with Chief Editor Sanji at 10am this morning, could you please lead the way?"<p>

~*~  
>When Usopp parked the car in front of the mansion, he had a glance of a little figure rushing through the front door and couldn't help but to smile to himself.<br>And as he expected, as soon as a servant greeted him when he stepped into the house, he heard loud arguing voices coming front up the stairs.  
>"Zoro! You can't escape from me!" A young voice called with concern and anger.<br>"Ahh, I said I'm fine! Don't you have a hospital to run?" Zoro made his way down the stairs while buttoning up his shirt with his blazer hooked on his left arm. Ignoring the person following him, he nodded to Usopp as his greeting.  
>The person tumbling down the stairs behind Zoro threw at him a copy of the newspaper, "Mr. Zoro, it reads 'Extreme fight between the 2 west gangs, resulting 15 injured, and 1 dead'. Now tell me you were not part of it last night."<p>

Zoro paused to reach for the breakfast that's ready for him on the table, and simply replied, "I was."

Before the young man could get angrier, a soft voice behind him giggled and said, "Dr. Chopper, please relax, you can't change him."  
>Chopper only sighed before he pulled a chair and slumped himself down, feeling defeated he said, "When are you going to be able to take care of yourself, my young master?"<br>Usopp placed a hand on Chopper's shoulder and only smiled.

Robin giggled again as he watched Zoro wolfed down his breakfast, "And I thought you have that all figured out with growing up with the man, doctor."  
>Chopper frowned, "He has been good for the past two years, and I thought things would change…" But his voice drifted off, as everyone's expression begin to change. He bit his lips as he caught himself with saying things that he shouldn't have said.<p>

In the past two years, things were different. Zoro was usually companied by another person to the hospital.

Zoro stood up from his seats expressionless, and walked towards the front door.  
>"I'm heading to the company."<br>Usopp took that as his cue to follow. Before he left he shook his head at Chopper with sympathy.  
>In the car, Usopp glanced at his young master sitting in the backseat. He was looking outside the window, seemed to be deep in thought.<br>"Sir, master Mihawk wishes to see you this morning."

Zoro's expression hardened with the mentioning of Mihawk's name, and nodded his approval without words.

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><p>I need to shed a tear of joy for anyone who finished reading this chapter. My apologies for not having much action in this chapter for explanation.<br>My goal is to have an update weekly.

Your words are my source of encouragement~ So please take a moment or two to drop me a line =]  
>3<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: Yo Yo~~ I'm back with another update~~! =] It has been quite an interesting week on my end.. first getting a fever out of no where, and then losing my voice from God-knows-what.. I am so glad 'tis Friday *sigh with relieve*  
>Sunny weather, 2 day weekend coming up, and watching Stanley Cup Playoffs.. weeee life is good people XP hahaha.<p>

**Disclaimer**: Let's be clear on one thing, who loves Zoro, created by Oda Eiichiro?

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><p>Nami looked around the empty office while taking a sip of her coffee. She then reached back to stretch her arm and back.<p>

She has been working with E-Media for a week now. To get use to how things work around this place, she has been staying behind to do over-time nearly everyday.

But she enjoys it.

Writing is not her forte, but she highly enjoys reading. And the majority part of her job as a chief editor assistant is to read, and decide which articles get to be published on the next day's paper, and which news to be sent to broadcast journalism upstairs to be seen on television.  
>Journalists and reporters are 24-hours standby to anything that could be going on around the city or country.<br>She can't imagine such a lifestyle.  
>She likes to have a set schedule of things: to be able to come to work, and then able to go home without the worry of work bothering her.<p>

After taking a short walk to the water station to fill up her cup, she went back to her computer and looked at the last article of the night she has to go through.  
>Oh she can't wait to go back home to shower and then sleep. She longed a good night of sleep, and it seems tonight she might be able to finish early.<p>

She nearly dropped her cup when she saw the headlines for article on her computer screen.

"Change of leadership in West-1 Gang"

She eagerly glanced through the entire article, and only one sentence caught her attention, "Mihawk passed away this afternoon with further investigation for cause of death. His son and the long-time business manger of the gang, Roronoa Zoro, is said to take over his father's leader role."  
>Nami clutched on her cup tightly has her eyes widened.<p>

Zoro…

She reached for her phone immediately, and dialed the series of numbers so familiar that she knew by heart. But she paused over the 'talk' key.  
>She lowered her head, as well as her cell phone.<br>Nami smiled bitterly to herself, and bit her lower lip to prevent tears from falling down.

~*~  
>Nami got into the elevator with a sigh. She felt exhausted from a long day of work, and emotionally drained from what she had read earlier this evening.<br>She doesn't remember how she finished her work, but she's just glad she's almost home now.  
>She looked up to watch the number lighting up as the elevator made its way to the top of the building. With a soft 'ding', the door opened to her floor.<br>Her unit is at the end of the hall way.  
>While fishing for her keys, she walked out of the elevator. But she became cautious when she saw a shadow near her front door. She gripped on a pocket knife tightly in her right hand as she walked up to her unit.<br>Upon seeing the shadow with more clarity, Nami gasped and flung her hand to her mouth.

"…. Zoro..."

Hearing his name, Zoro looked up from where he was standing.  
>God, he looked terrible. His eyes are lifeless and empty. He looks like a broken doll that was abandoned by the owner - lost and sad.<br>Nami has seen Zoro in this condition once. And that was 6-months ago.  
>Still leaning on to the wall, Zoro reached out his hand.<p>

Nami took a deep breath, releasing the pocket knife back into her purse and pulled out her keys. Her hand took his, and opened the door to her unit.

Once they were in, she led him onto the couch and they sat next to each other in silence.  
>Finally, Nami said in a soft voice, "You shouldn't be here, Zoro."<br>Zoro sighed heavily and leaned back onto the couch and rested his head against it. He then said in a rusty voice, "Nami, how are you?"  
>When he spoke, Nami frowned as she could smell the reek of alcohol.<br>She got up to walk over to the washroom and came out with a hot towel in her hand. She sat back down on the couch and saw Zoro had his eyes closed.  
>He looked exhausted. His brows slightly furrowed and there was dark circles under his eyes. She ignored how her heart was aching as she placed the towel onto his forehead, and heard Zoro moaned quietly at the feel of comfort.<br>Zoro opened his eyes, and stared at the chandelier on the ceiling.

"He knew he was going to die."

Nami looked at him with concern, she didn't understand what Zoro was talking about.  
>Zoro closed his eyes again in the pain of his memory, "He called me to his office a couple of days ago, and said I'll have to take over soon." he paused, and suddenly opened his eyes. Nami saw anger showing in his eyes. He continued in his low voice, "He controlled my entire life. And he continues to, even when he's dead…" As he closed his eyes, Nami thought she saw a trail of tear glided down his cheek.<p>

She couldn't hold back anymore, and reached forward to gather him in her arms.  
>She can feel her shoulder slowly getting damp. She gently stroke his back while hugged tight around his shuddering shoulders while he quietly wept.<br>"I'm good, Zoro." She finally answered the question he asked a while ago.  
>She could feel Zoro tense up ever so slightly, then he mumbled, "Thank you, Nami."<p>

Nami felt her eyes getting hot, and her vision was soon blurred by tear. It hurts her to see the ever-so-confident Zoro to be like this. She had seen nothing or no one that got past his line of defense, except for two.

Herself… and Mihawk.

She felt a slight vibration from Zoro's jacket that he left on the side of the couch, but he didn't seem to notice. He lied quietly on the couch, with his head resting on Nami's lap. She could feel his steady breathing in his sleep, but his hand never let loose of hers.  
>While gently stroking his hair, she called his name carefully, "Zoro…" But he didn't stir.<p>

Nami stared out the window to the night light. She squeezed Zoro's hand gently while whispered, "How long have you been feeling guilty for, baby? What happened to us, wasn't your fault."

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><p>Do you start to smell something in the air now? 'cause if you don't... sigh I have some work to do in the next couple of chapters.. hahaha<br>Thank you for all my reviewers who have been telling me about what you think! You guys are more than awesome!  
>Please drop me a line or two, and I'll also try my best to reply 3<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hello hello~~ My apologies for not updating last weekend.. But there you are. =] Chapter 04

Disclaimer: Although I got a poster this weekend, I still don't own One Piece~~

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

He leaned on the locker behind him with his arms cross in front of his chest.

And he waited.

Then the classroom door swung open, the first wave of students rushed out. He kept his eyes closed while he waited as others rushed to all different directions beside him. And all of the sudden, a finger poked his cheek, and a playful voice saying, "Wakey wakey~~ sleepy Zoro!"

Zoro peeked with one eye, and saw an orange hair girl standing in front of him with a bag slang over her left shoulder, while holding a textbook in her right hand. He yawned, pushed himself off the locker, and grinned. He took her free hand and started to walk towards the stairs.

Just as they reached the corner, a huge shadow overcastted on top of them, and subconsciously stood in front of Nami. But to his horror, the shadow managed to pull Nami from behind him, broke lose of his hold, and as he only watched Nami rolling down the stairs.

"NO!"

Zoro screamed as he shot up from the bed. He is drenched in sweat, and breathing heavily and quickly from the nightmare. Nami's scream from his dream still rang in his ears. He spread open his shaky hand, and tried to focus on them in the darkness.

The bathroom door opened, and the room is now slightly brighter, and Zoro can now see better. Nami stepped out in her long shirt with a towel around her neck.

"Hey." She smiled.

"…."

She walked over to her dresser as she said, "I think Usopp was trying to get in touch with you for the entire night."

Picking out the outfit to wear for tomorrow, she placed them on the back rest of the chair, and tossed the towel into the laundry basket.

She stood still beside the bed with her back against Zoro, and slowly lowered her head, and said in a quiet voice, "Zoro… It wasn't your fault." She turned around and knelt beside him on the bed.

She reached for his hand, and gently caressed his face with her other hand, "The stairs, the school, my internship.. Everything. Zoro. I'm good.. Really."

Zoro looked up and stared at Nami. There's a sliver of emotion sparkling in his eyes. He held tight onto Nami's hand, "You would've made a great doctor."

His voice expressionless.

Nami smiled, and placed her head onto Zoro's chest. She heard the beating of his heart, and his deep breathing. "You are a great business man, Zoro. I'm so proud of you."

Zoro found himself wrapping his arms around her thin frame. He has forgotten how much he has missed the feeling of having her in his arms. He placed his chin on her head, and closed his eyes.

"He ruined your life… And I can't do anything to help…" Zoro's voice dry and rusty.

Nami placed a hand on his chest, and run it diagonally down across, tracing a scar under his shirt, and giggled lightly. "Silly Zoro..."

She continued with her face buried in his chest, "When this scar appeared on you, it also appeared on my heart, Zoro."

She lifted her head to look up at Zoro. His eyes are now slightly lively, but his brows are deeply furrowed. Nami grinned, "I give you permission to stop stalking me."

Zoro curled up his lips, and hugged her tighter. "I prefer the word 'protecting'."

Nami wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his shoulder, "I miss your smile, Zoro."

The funeral for the former West-1 gang leader Mihawk lasted for 7 days. E-Media had designated news reporter and journalist on site to bring first-hand news back to the headquarters. This had made the front page headlines since day one.

It has became a habit for Nami to read everything that's related to this topic at her first chance of the day. She was reading a newspaper when her boss walked up from behind and cleared his throat.

Nami looked up in surprise, and immediately hit the newspaper behind her, while she stood up, "Mr. Sanji.."

Sanji was wearing a dark blue shirt, a simple black tie neatly tied under his collar. His dark dress pants fitted around his waist and showed off his lean figure. His blonde hair covering half of his face, and his visible right eye was eyeing the newspaper behind Nami.

He smiled friendly, "M-News … "

Nami crumpled the newspaper in her hands, "I know we're rivals. But… but there are things we can use in our advantage.. Right?" and smiled nervously.

Sanji placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly, "Relax, I just came by to see if everything is alright. You seem to be quite stressed these days." He paused and took the newspaper from her, "I never had the chance to welcome you to our team, would I have the honor to have dinner with you tonight, Nami?"

Nami held onto her breath. Zoro has been busy with the funeral and dealing with leadership business in the past few days, but he visits her place irregularly, and it has became another routine of hers to return home immediately after work.

But the day of her interview, she nearly threw a temper at this man in front of her. And yet, he still accepted her as his assistant. At the time, she asked him angrily if he had accepted her because she's Nojiko's sister. And Sanji simply said with the same smile, "You can read well."

Nami smiled, "I think that's a great idea. And it would be a great chance for me to get to know rest of the team."

Sanji's nodded with a smile, "I'll get someone to make a reservation." With that, he turned around and walked back to his office.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading~!<br>Drop me a word or two~


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Hehehe.. I'm aware that I delayed my last update, so in return, there you guys go.. an early update for Chapter 5.. This should open up the rest of the plot line.. And so therefore, hereafter it should be time for more development.. Stick with me lovelies!

Disclaimer: No matter how much I want to pretend that Zoro's completely mine.. he still solely belongs to Oda sensei.. sigh

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

Zoro leaned back into the chair in his office, and turned to look outside the window.

His office is located on the twentieth floor of this business building, and from his position, he's able to see the cars that are parked on the side of the street.

From the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a person in a red blazer jacket wearing a ball cap. His eyes went cold, and his fingers clutched tight on the arm rest.

He closed his eyes and placed a hand on his forehead.

The man's arrogant face suddenly appeared in his mind, and he shot open his eyes and instantly grabbed the phone on his desk.

"It's me. I need to talk to you."

With that, he hangs up the phone, and leaned back into his seats.

When Franky finally made it through the rush hour traffic, and stepped a foot into the bar, he saw Zoro already sitting in the reserved seats. With his back against Franky, he couldn't see his expression, but can only make out that he's constantly drinking.

Franky scratched his head, and made his way over. "Yo~"

Zoro shoved a bottle of beer to Franky without looking, "… Yo? See all of those? Your penalty."

Franky couldn't pick up anything from Zoro's voice, and only laughed as he chucked the bottle of beer in one go. He placed the bottle onto the table as he took a seat across from Zoro, "Come on… just 20 minutes late, I can't finish all those bottles.. I need to drive later too. Can't break the rules, being an officer myself you know." With a wink, he sat down.

Zoro glanced up at him, and returned his attention back to the bottle in his hand. Then he said no more.

Franky glanced around, "What's going on? How come Usopp is not with you?"

"There are things he need to take care of." Zoro looked up at Franky again.

Franky smiled, "And I assume it has to do with why I'm here."

Zoro placed the empty bottle on the table, and picked up a new one, "Luffy came to my office today."

Franky was puzzled. "Say what?"

"He wants to negotiate."

Franky reached for a bottle of beer, and said after he gulped down half a bottle, "Oh..?"

Zoro loosened the tie around his neck, annoyed he said, "Monkey D. Luffy took over the GP-8 gang last year. And ever since then, they have been inching toward our territory."

Franky leaned back in his seat crossing his legs, and nodded, "The only thing that was preventing them from spreading and making visible encounter was -"

"Mihawk. My father." Zoro looked at Franky as he interrupted.

Franky helplessly chuckled and ruffled his hair, "I guess it's finally here."

Zoro stood up from his seat, hands in his pants pockets, "Good luck… So long buddy."

Franky watched as Zoro walked out of the bar. With a sigh he took another drag from the bottle.

10 years of friendship… The day has finally came.

From the moment that Franky decided to become a cop, both him and Zoro knew that the day of them facing each other as enemies will eventually come. But with Mihawk in power of West-1, Zoro has enjoyed the position of business manager and managed to stay away from gang related activities.  
>But what has to come has finally came.<p>

He silently sat in his seats for the next while. Then he slowly reached into his pocket to take out his phone, and connected himself to the Gang Control Unit.

"Assign four groups to watch over West-1 and GP-8 immediately."

He hang up and looked at the bottles of beer on the table, and suddenly realized with a smile, "Damn… You got away with paying.. Again."

Nami unbuckled her seatbelt. The car door on her side opened, and Sanji reached out his hand with a smile. Nami stared at his hand briefly with wonder. She just finished dinner with the team and Sanji, throughout the entire time, he didn't say much despite everyone was having a blast. At the end, he generously offered her a ride home since other people all carpooled, and only she lived out of the way. It was a comfortable car ride. Sanji listened most of the time with a smile, and only commented when she had a pause. He doesn't have the average aura of a typical boss. Nami felt comfortable talking to him.

She smiled as she took his hand and stepped out of the car. "Thank you, for the ride home, Sanji."

"It was my pleasure."

"I'll see you tomorrow at work."

"How do you feel if I send you out on a scene?" He asked as he walked around the car to the driver's side.

Nami crooked her head, "Out in the field..?"

Sanji winked as he opened the door, "Don't worry, Brook will take care of you."

"Where to?"

Sanji rolled down the window on her side, and leaned in to speak, "Just asking you for your opinion for now. But don't worry, I'll never put you in danger, lovely lady."

Nami blushed at that comment, and waved her goodbye before she turned around to unlock the front door to her building. But only to pause when she caught a glimpse of a shadow in the parking lot. She turned and saw Zoro leaning onto his car with his arms crossed. Seeing her looking at him, Zoro pushed him off the vehicle and strolled towards her.

On his way, he looked over to where Sanji's car was.

They smiled at each other, and Nami lead the way into the building.

Once in her apartment, Nami went into the kitchen and poured a glass of wine, and went back to the living room finding Zoro standing in front of the window with his back against her.

She placed an arm around his waist, and handed over the wine to him.  
>Nami rested her head on his shoulder. She could smell the scent from a bar, mixed with a faint smell of cologne that she's so familiar with. She tightened her arms around his waist and buried her face into his back.<p>

Zoro kept his eyes on the window and placed his free hand on top of Nami's… as if trying to hold on to the last piece of peacefulness...

~*~  
>Luffy sat cross legged on the chair. He picked up the steak on his plate with his pork and bit into it with satisfaction. He grinned in the dark, and whispered to himself, "It's almost show time.. Zoro."<p>

His eyes flared with unreadable expression, and took the last bite off of his fork, "What you owed me, I'm about to take back from you, along with interest!"

* * *

><p>Yay Luffy~!<br>He took a lot longer to appear than I have anticipated.. but there he is~! =]  
>You know the drill~~ Drop me a line or two~<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Although you don't usually get everything you want in this world, but I think the hardest part of being an author is that you can't expect everyone who reads your story to tell you their input on things..

So therefore, I highly appreciate everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story~ I am serious when I saw your words are my motivation... Part of the reason why I slowed down in my updating is motivation (... or the lack of). But then I thought, even if there's only one reader who still read and review this story, I shall continue to finish.

So my loyal readers (You know who you are!) Thank you =]

Disclaimer: Don't believe anyone who tells you that Zoro is theirs, he solely belongs to Oda-sensei =P

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

Franky blew out a mouthful of smoke, and leaned back into his office chair having his feet rested on the desk. The people he had sent out to watch over West-1 and GP-8 had just reported suspicious activities with both party leaders.

Zoro has been quite aggressive with keeping the properties that belonged to the West-1 gang. And Luffy and his gang has been obnoxious with his invasion into West-1 territory. A war between the two most powerful gangs in the city could explode any minute.

He had already given the orders to the operation tonight. And now all he can do … is wait.

Nami frowned at the piece of paper in front of her. She picked it up and walked to Sanji's office.

Sanji looked up from the files he was looking at when he heard the knocking. Seeing Nami in the doorway, he smiled, "What can I do for you?"

Nami pushed the paper in her hand forward, "I thought I'm still on probation."

Sanji glanced at the statement in her hand, "Probation period is 6-months.. Conditionally." He placed his elbows on the desk, "Nami, in the past 3 months, you have been working hard, everyone has seen your effort. E-media has been around for the past decade or two, but the sales and distribution has never reached such a peak. From the layout and article selection, very visually pleasant and easy to read. And for this, I think it is fair for you to be less restricted with regulations, and freely explore. With a probation, you are not permitted to go into the field."

Nami was confused even more, "But you hired me for reading.. Not writing.. I'm no reporter or journalist."

"Each reporter needs an assistant. Each reporter is not only in charge of following one particular story. With our limited staff, it's important for us to cover both breadth and depth. Primary reporter is in charge of breadth, and assistant is in charge of depth. Clear?"

Nami nodded. Before she could speak, the door was knocked again. She turned around to see the senior reporter stepping into the office.

Sanji handed a stack of paper over to Brook, while spoke, "West-1 and GP-8 haven't been very peaceful with each other in the past couple of weeks. This had caught most of public's attention and concern. We need to get as most coverage as we can on this topic. Brook, perhaps you could take Nami on for this project?"

Brook flipped through the paper in his hand, and with the mentioning of his name, he looked up at Nami, "Sure thing. Follow me lady."

Once outside of the office, Nami anxiously asked, "What's GP-8?"

Brook walked back to his cubicle and sat down on his chair before answering, "GP-8 is the second biggest gang in the city, just trailing after West-1. Both gangs are ran in a business manner: West-1 ran casinos and bars; GP-8 ran spas and arcades. The leaders of the gang acts as the CEO of the business. They have been around for over 50 years, and had 3 changes of leadership, and never have they encountered with each other with conflicts… Until the newest young leaders took over. Roronoa Zoro and Monkey D. Luffy, to date, are the youngest and most ambitious leaders for these two gangs."

Nami's mind had already started to wonder all over the place. Her hands trembling, and her body shaking. She doesn't remember how she walked back to her desk, nor does she remember what Brook said to her after. She stared at her cell phone blankly. After what felt like hours, she finally exhale a shaky breath which she didn't know she had been holding.

Just when she was about to place the phone back onto the desk, it started to vibrate violently in her hand. Nami nearly jumped in her seat, and gripped onto her cell phone tightly before it almost slipped out of her hand. She quickly glanced around the office before she swiped across the screen to connect her call, "Nojiko!" She whispered loudly into the phone.

"Hi hi! Want to have lunch with me?" Nojiko said with a cheerful voice.

"I can't have lunch with you, but I'll come over for dinner! Going back to work now, bye!" With that said, she ended her call abruptly.

She couldn't help but to think about what Brook said earlier about the gangs. She sat in her chair with her fingers crossed tightly, and drifted deeply in thoughts.

Roronoa Zoro.. The youngest leader to date.  
>Ever since the first day she met him, she knows behind that stoic and hard expression hid a soft and caring heart. She still remembers the first time she saw his bright smile. It was like the feeling of finding a rare jewel, that shined so brightly, it seemed unreal, and blinded her eyes. But that image has forever been ironed into her head. She still remembers at that moment, he was being licked by a new born puppy.<br>He used to be that carefree, and simple. Even Zoro never spoke too many words, but she had always been able to read him through his eyes.

A hand suddenly was gently placed on her shoulder, "Not going to lunch?"

Nami snapped her head back, her eyes still lost in her memories when they met Sanji's. Sanji withdrew his hand with concern, "What's wrong?"

Nami smiled, "Going on lunch?"

Sanji flipped his wrist to look at the watch, "There's a restaurant nearby just opened that I have always been meaning to check out. They have a two-for-one deal between 1 and 3pm on Fridays. Have you had lunch yet?"

"You mean that Malay food place?"

"Care to join?"

Nami looked at the clock mounted on the wall, half past one - perfect timing for lunch. "I love Malay food! Man, now that you mentioned it, I'm so hungry!"

As she walked out of the office with Sanji, her cell phone silently vibrated persistently in her bag.

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><p>The rest of the plot is sketched out.. hehe just a matter of fact of putting them in words...<br>The same old drill~~ Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts~ =]


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **hello hello~~ miss me? Hahaha. Well first of all, my sincere apologies for not updating for so long. Things have been crazy on my end, and I assure you that I have not forgotten about this story, nor will I give up on this. =] However, I shall warn you dear readers, that things shall go slow from now on. I believe currently I have hit a writer's block.. So instead of my regular one update per week, this shall be a bi-weekly update.

My biggest thanks goes to my loyal readers who leave me with comments, and allow me to know what I'm doing good, and what I need to improve on. 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or its related characters. I only own this plot and the mastermind behind it =]

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Luffy sat cross legged in the chair, and took his time as he blew smoke out of his mouth. He glanced at the men who stood in a circle surrounding him and smiled. "Yo, Zoro. Don't have to give me such a big welcome party you know!"  
>The men all tensed at his remark, but didn't dare to move without any instructions from Zoro who sat in the chair across the table from Luffy.<br>Zoro, who hasn't said much throughout the night since Luffy arrived at Sunny Night Club, only twirled the wine glass in between his fingers, and took a small sip. The Sunny Night Club is one of the biggest night clubs under West-1's territory. Ever since its doors opened in 1963, it has been a huge source of income for the company with hundreds of customers set their feet into the store. The Sunny has also became the biggest loss of income in the most recent months.

Zoro slowly raised his eyes to look at Luffy. But again… didn't say anything.

Usopp stood behind Zoro, and couldn't do anything but getting more and more anxious as time went by. He cautiously eyed the side profile of Zoro's face, and landed his gaze on Luffy's outline under the dimmed light. His hands formed tight fists. Luffy has been coming to The Sunny every night ever since his visit to Zoro's office. And because of his presence in the night club, the number of customers that came decreased every night, and eventually, resulted in what appeared in front of them tonight - no one dared to come anymore. But his young master has been, surprisingly, patient and tolerant towards the intruder. He doesn't understand why hasn't Zoro done anything to the situation yet.

Luffy looked around the place, and shook his head in dismay. "Zoro buddy, this place looks dead man. Seems like you need some help with managing your business."  
>All men tightened their hands on their hips - under each of their jackets, a bulge can clearly be seen. Zoro raised his hand, while keeping his eyes on Luffy. The men reluctantly removed their grip from the pistols, but all took half a step closer.<br>"I assume, something you must be superb at."  
>Luffy rose his eyebrows at the amazement that Zoro finally spoke for the first time of the night, "Why, of course! I mean take a look at this place. It has been so grand and packed when your father was in power, and as soon as he passed away," he dramatically sighed and shook his head in regret, "Would you want to carry your father's success to the far road?"<p>

Zoro only grinned and spoke no more.

"Ah la.. I was wondering who deserved such a big welcome from my leader."  
>Hearing the voice, Luffy didn't have to turn around to identify the owner. "Miss Robin, what a great time to see you!"<br>Robin walked towards the table as people made way for her. She is dressed in a black corset under a long silky gown draped over her lean figure. Her black boot came to her mid thighs, showing off her long legs.  
>She walked closer to the table, and took a seat beside Luffy. She ignored the look from Zoro as she spoke, "Such a rare visitor you are, Mr. Luffy."<br>Luffy only had a glance at the smile on her face, and he could feel the difficulty of peeling his gaze away. He took a deep breath as he smiled, "It is always a treat to see you."  
>"Oh..?" She raised a hand to bring hair behind her ear, "And here I am I thought you didn't like me and want to ruin my business."<br>"Never would I do that to you!"  
>Robin leaned closer as she spoke softly, "Then why have you been scaring my customers away? I've lost a lot of income tonight, and how are you planning on fixing that?"<p>

Luffy laughed.  
>So hard that he wasn't able to stop until Zoro slammed the glass onto the table.<p>

"Ahh.. what a babe you have Zoro! So much better than your journalist girlfriend!" Luffy said in between of his laughter and fought hard to breathe.  
>Zoro's fingers froze around the foot of the glass. He can feel both Usopp and Robin tense up too. He gripped tight around the cup, but didn't even blink at Luffy's last remark.<p>

And just then, the front door of the night club swung open without warning. A herd of heavy boots rushed in, and surrounded the group of them in the centre. The lights of the place was suddenly switched on, "Inspection! Break apart and have your ID's ready!" Franky walked in as he roared his orders.

Even with the officers rushing in, Zoro didn't remove his eyes from Luffy. He can feel his hands trembling, and his body getting cold. As he watched Luffy cooperated with the officer who confronted him for ID, Zoro fought hard against the urge to rush over and pin him down.  
>"What are we doing guys? Having a tea part?" Franky knocked on the table as he gave a hard look at the two party leaders.<br>Usopp finally stepped forward and smiled friendly, "My apologies sir, we had some renovation going on recently so we haven't been opening up for business, and Luffy here is just trying offer his assistance."  
>"A renovation that requires the presence of the leaders of the biggest gangs in the city?" Franky clearly was not convinced at the reasoning being provided to him, he continued as he stood next to Zoro, using a dangerously low voice he spoke, "Since it doesn't seem like you're getting any business anyways, probably a good idea to just close down for the night. Don't you think, West-1?"<br>"What a great idea!" Luffy clapped his hands on the table.  
>Hearing that, Franky turned and placed a hand on his shoulder as he leaned down to whisper into his ears, "I'm not stupid, and you're not dumb. So let's cut the crap, and get to the point, shall we? You get your ass out here, or I'll pull your sweet little ass back to my branch and join me for a cup of coffee, <em>GP-8<em>." With his stress on the last three syllables, there was no room for negotiation.

Luffy shrugged, and rose from his seat.  
>As he was turning to leave, a low voice penetrated clearly through the noise between the officers and the men, "What have you done to her…"<p>

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><p>I'm going to be picking up the pace from here... So hooray for action~~ =]<br>Leave me a line or so, see you next time!


	8. Chapter 8 & 9

**Author's Note**: My dearest readers! I have returned! My deepest apologies for sudden disappearance, I have experienced an unpleasant case of author's block... However, it does not justify me to leave all of you lovelies hanging like this.. So therefore, I have decided to combine 2 chapters worth of contents together for this update~ And hoping this will make up for something =)

**Disclaimer**: So I re-watched One Piece.. And let me re-state this one more time.. Zoro, you are THE man! 3 But he doesn't belong to moi.. sigh

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

It wasn't until after she had dinner with Nojiko did Nami realize her cell phone had ran out battery. She tossed it back into her bag as she got onto the bus. She could've sworn the battery was completely charged when she left the house this morning. She sighed as she made a mental note to herself - it's probably a sign that she should look into a new phone.

But when she plugged in her phone, she realized she had more than forty missed calls, including three voice mails. She was slightly amazed at her all-of-the-sudden popularity. But when she looked into the her calling log, she noticed all calls were made from an unknown number - the callers had blocked their number from displaying on her phone.  
>Well, now that's interesting. She thought she had put her number on the Do Not Call list, so she shouldn't be getting any telemarketing or spam phone calls. She grunted as she through her phone onto the bed with disgust, should she even consider getting a new number as well now?<p>

When she was getting changed to shower, her phone beeped - a text message just came in. Still annoyed at the spam calls, she decided to ignore the message and stepped into the shower. The bathroom door closed behind Nami, and the water is now running. The phone beeped again, the name on the screen flashed in the dark room.

R. Zoro.

Zoro's words acted like a cue.  
>Before Franky could react, Usopp stepped forward, whipped out his pistol and planted it on his temple. As Franky reached back to his belt in a reflex for his own weapon, Usopp pressed the gun on his head harder, "I wouldn't move if I were you."<br>At the same time Usopp took on Franky, Robin also reacted to Zoro's order. No one saw how she moved, or where she got her weapon from, but as time seemed to freeze in frame, Luffy only saw a flash of light, and didn't dare to move as he felt the chill from the knife that's right against his neck.

Everything all happened way too fast for anyone to react.  
>Robin broke the silence, "Don't be rude, mister. My master asked you a question."<br>"There are consequences for your actions, young man. I suggest you to remove your gun immediately." Franky controlled his anger as he spoke. But Usopp didn't seem to care to respond. The other officers are now all fighting hard to stay put, and impatiently waited for the chance to charge.  
>Usopp removed another pistol under his jacket with his free hand, and pulled the trigger without looking.<p>

The glass that Luffy used earlier shattered on the table. "I also wouldn't interrupt my master if I were you, Inspector." Usopp glanced at Franky, and grinned, "I'm quite good at aiming."

Luffy smiled, "Let's relax, everybody. I don't even know which 'she' we're talking about here."  
>Robin pushed the knife a centimeter closer, and Luffy could feel his Adam's apple touching the blade as he swallowed. "Inspector, aren't you going to do something about this?"<br>Franky grunted, "Don't fucking tell me what to do!"

Then the entire club was filled with silence.

When Luffy heard a quiet buzzing sound in the room, he smiled. He watched with interest as Zoro taking out his cell phone from his suit jacket. Although his expression didn't change, Luffy could see Zoro's eyes had a rare tint of softness when he heard the voice from the other side. The conversation was short, and Zoro didn't say much to the other person, and he ended the talk with "I'll call you back." His voice is as emotionless as always.

Usopp and Robin both turned slightly to look at Zoro, and they both withdrew their weapons when they saw his hand went up in the air.  
>Zoro rose from his seat. He had his hands in the pants pockets, and took his time as if he's taking a stroll down the park as he made his way to Luffy. "Losing a couple nights of business, to me, I could care less. You have your principals Luffy, and don't forget I have mine." He stopped a foot away from Luffy, "And look what you made me do. Now we both have to go keep Inspector Franky company."<br>Luffy loosened his tie around his neck, and sighed, "At least, the coffee they serve is not half bad."

~*~  
>In the interview room, Zoro took his time with the coffee offered to him. He only wish they could at least allow him to have his phone with him. He told Nami that he would call her back, but seriously, he had been sitting here for at least two hours, and had at least 5 cups of coffee. Although, he could appreciate the quality of the drink, but still, that doesn't change the fact that he could at least be listening to her voice as he waited for whoever is going to come to ask him questions.<p>

Just as he thought he could probably doze off and have a nap, the door suddenly swung open, and he could hear the boots landing heavily on the floor. Just like how the door was violently swung open, it was just equally violently swung shut. Zoro couldn't help but to sympathize the walls of the room as he felt the shaking.

A folder of files were slammed onto the table, and the person who threw it planted himself on the chair across from Zoro. Zoro reached for the coffee cup and took another sip from it as he looked ahead at the officer who just sat down.  
>Franky didn't look the greatest. Not because it's late at night right now, but more because his face is a mixture of colors, and Zoro could only assume they're from frustration and, perhaps, embarrassment from earlier tonight.<p>

"Congratulations, now you officially have a record." Franky spoke, clearly controlling his anger in his voice.  
>Zoro tilted his head, and glanced at the camera mounted at the corner of the room, and smiled when he saw the flashing red light. Ah, the power of video recording. He placed the cup back onto the table, "This is a waste of time, Inspector." He glanced at his watch, "If the purpose of this interview is to tell me that I should care about my criminal record, perhaps we should all save some time and energy on that."<br>A vein popped on Franky's forehead, and he had to take a deep breath before he spoke, "Correction. This is for you to tell me what you and GP-8 leader were negotiating about tonight."  
>Zoro looked at Franky with a weird look, "I would also like to know that. Why don't you tell me once you find out?"<p>

The men stared at each other without words. Zoro know Franky's struggles, but he can't back down. He can't bring his friend into … whatever Luffy has planned. Whatever it is, his instinct is telling him that he needs to be prepared.

Chapter 9

The biggest aquarium in the country happened to be located in this city. It was a gorgeous summer day, Nami was happy that she can finally put down her medical books for one day, and just enjoy the sun. She let loose of Zoro's hand, and stepped forward cautiously into the water. A dolphin poked its head out of the water. It tilted its head and stared at Nami with wonder.

"Zoro look!" Nami exclaimed excitedly. The sun shone onto the water, reflecting the light and made Zoro momentarily blind when he turned to look what Nami wanted to show him. Nami couldn't read Zoro's expression, but she saw horror in his eyes.  
>She didn't understand.<br>She was excited that the dolphin had accepted fish from her, and she wanted to show him how awesome that was. Was she, or the dolphin, that scary? She giggled, and thought to herself: no way. Zoro could top anyone of being scary, on any day.

But surely, she saw Zoro's lips move, but she couldn't hear anything coming out of them. Mmm, that's weird, they're not that much further away from each other.  
>But wait... no they are….<br>Since when did she get this far away from him? Zoro was running with all his will and power, but she didn't feel like he was getting any closer to her. She glanced around her, and noticed that she has been totally enclosed by darkness. And the only source of light slowly to disappear along with Zoro.

...She began to panic.

She never enjoyed being alone in the dark. In fact, she hated being alone in the dark. It made her feel lonely and abandoned. The feeling of being trapped, the feeling of helplessness, and the feeling of insecure had overwhelmed her like a flood. Zoro… He has always been there for her, highs and lows during anytime and any day. He has never left her side when her mother passed away last year. Zoro was never the type of person to say much during such situation, but his presence alone had made her going through the transition phase very calmly and securely.  
>But her Zoro... Where is he now! She needs him!<p>

Then she saw flickering of lights. They came to her direction. Their face hidden in the dark. Nami took a step back before realizing the flickering of lights were from knife blades held in these men's hands!  
>She began to run…. Only to find her legs heavy as lead, and as if an invisible force is pulling her back… The panic feeling intensified… and she began to pant as she heard her own heart beat pounding in her ears.<p>

And suddenly, a hand held onto hers. She remember this feeling - warm and secure. It was this hand that has always held on tight to hers no matter the incident and circumstance. She couldn't see Zoro's face as he stood firmly in front of her and shielded her from her attackers. She couldn't hear clearly what he was saying, but the anger in his voice was clear.  
>Then things began to get foggy…<p>

And only the blood on her hand remained clear…  
>She looked down at her trembling hands, and eyes widened when she saw the stain and smear of blood on her palm and fingers. Her breath caught in her throat.<br>"R...Run.."  
>Who was talking to her?<p>

She lifted up her head. She found a familiar figure lying beside her, a pool of blood underneath him. She looked back to her hands, and her eyes widened with the realization.  
>Oh … God..<br>She crawled to his side, and a deep slash diagonally across his chest stared boldly at her. She saw his eyes drooping closed, and her heart was drowned in the fear of losing him.

No! Zoro, don't leave me!

Nami opened her eyes, and glanced around the familiar setting in her bedroom. Her heart remained pounding with speed. A tell-tale trace of tear crept on her face.  
>She reached for her phone and checked the time. 5:15am.<p>

Damn... The same dream… again…

That experience of how Zoro got his scar on his chest has always haunted her. If it wasn't for him, she most likely couldn't have pulled through that night with the group of attackers. He had no weapon, and fought barehanded against 10 men who were equiped with sharp blades. At the end, he got a bloody scar on his chest, and she...was pristinely fine.  
>That idiot. She thought to herself as she got up to get herself a cup of water. While she took a deep breath, her hand was lifted to her forehead. At the end of her fingertips was a thin layer of sweat - that memory, and what had followed, never ceased to taunt her. Not only was she not by his side for his recovery, she also got pulled from her internship, then was thrown out of medical school… what a life she's had.<p>

She meant to wait for his call earlier tonight, but couldn't recall when she fell asleep. Well, seems like the call won't be coming anytime soon since he should probably be resting. She sighed, so should she.

~*~  
>Nami was busily typing away at her desk, when Sanji called her into his office.<br>"Nami, I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll be able to do any field work with Brook anymore. I have another project for you to follow." He said apologetically while handing over a folder of files.  
>She couldn't help but to raise her eyebrows when she flipped through the stack of papers. "Eh.. I guess that's not a problem, Sanji. But… there are….more than one case in this folder.." And not to mention, they're old news.<br>Sanji leaned back to his seats, and brought his hands to his chin, "They're old, doesn't mean they're not important. These are the files that were related a homicide case a couple of years ago, and the local police department is requesting all the story coverage we did in our archives. And if possible, I also want you to get in contact with the journalist who wrote the articles to get them in contact with the officers."

Nami nodded, "No problem Sanji." She turned to walk away, but looked back at Sanji, "Brook will be fine on his own?"  
>Sanji smiled, "Not to worry, he's experienced enough."<p>

~*~  
>"Tired from work?"<br>Nami opened her eyes when she heard Zoro's question. "Too much reading." She left out the part of how messy the archive was, and how much time she had wasted on locating only a few out of plenty of stories she had to pull out.  
>Zoro reached over a hand to hold onto hers, while keeping the other on the steering wheel, and said no more to focus on driving.<p>

After a moment of silence, Nami eyed Zoro from the corner of her eyes. And noticed he's the tired one out of the two of them. She hesitated, but still decided to ask, "Is everything ok?"  
>Zoro tilted his head toward her while keeping his eyes on the road, "…?"<br>Nami smiled, said in a soft voice, "Feel like you have been quite occupied with a lot of things lately. And …. I see you a lot less now…."  
>Zoro didn't say anything, but only tightened his grip around Nami's hand..<p>

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><p>I believe this was the chapter that I have re-read and edited at the airport while my flight was delayed for 2.5 hours.. so there you go~! Leave your foot prints everyone! With much love, Merlot signing off~ 3<p> 


	9. Chapter 10

**Author's Note**: I'm back~~~ And you thought I forgot about this story, didn't cha? :P Truth is.. Once I caught up with the Fisherman Island landing in the New World for OP, I refused to watch the rest on a once per week basis, so I took a break lol... which then explains my inspiration block for this story as well... And now that I'm back to watching it, I'm hoping that my inspiration would also come back ...

**Disclaimer**: Anyone seen Iron Man 3? RDJ is charming... but still think Zoro is more manly ^^ ~~

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

"Do as I order."

Usopp can only watch as Zoro got up from his seat, and walked out of the office. He thought to himself, well that's easier said than done, master. Feeling defeated, he scratched his head and sank into the couch. The door opened again, he straightened up right away, and only to sink back to his seat when he saw Robin standing in the door way looking at him with a mixed expression on her face.

"... Has he gone crazy..?" Usopp asked.  
>Robin closed the door behind her, and took a seat. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, and remained silent.<br>"He wants all the forces out of this territory, and assigned the strongest unit away! GP-8 has been aggressive. Every day they inch closer and deeper into our territory, and now he wants us to pull all the forces _out_?! Has he gone insane?"  
>"GP-8 has been quiet in the last week…"<br>"Fantastic! And that justifies my master's decision, _how_?!"

Robin lifted her gaze up to look at Usopp, who is clearly fuming in anger and frustration… and confusion, perhaps. "Mr. Usopp, you need to calm down and try to relax first." He has gone out of character. She has never seen him getting this emotional under any sorts of circumstances. In fact, ever since Usopp started serving under Zoro at a young age, the man has taken Zoro's word as the Bible, and never questioned anything, but followed full heartedly.  
>Usopp jumped out of his seat, "Nuh uh! Don't try to tell me to calm down when clearly something is wrong, and someone is clearly not tell us what is wrong! T-unit has always be in charge for the safety of the leader, and now he just told me 'not necessary' and wants the unit to be somewhere else. GP-8 has always known for their ruthless and aggressiveness! " He stopped pacing around the room, and fixed his gaze on Robin, "No no, you need to talk to him! You <em>need<em> to talk some sense into him!"

Robin curled her lips up into a teasing smile, "Mr. Usopp, try to breathe."  
>"Don't you get the severity of the situation?"<br>Robin lowered her head, and her voice is dangerously serious, "Have you forgotten that there's only one person who possibly could change his mind… and that person is not me. Think with a calm mind, Usopp. Zoro would never make a reckless decision. T-unit is the most reliable unit for their strength, trailing right behind us. With Zoro's ability, he doesn't quite need the protection, but… "  
>"... But someone else… does." As if a light bulb lit up, Usopp suddenly had another person in mind, which now… actually justified everything.<p>

~*~  
>Sanji was gathering his stuff, and finishing up the last bit of work before he's ready to take off for the day. His thought about the delicious steak that he had planned on making for dinner tonight made his stomach growl. Ah yes, a good steak goes hand in hand with terrific wine. He should probably drop by the liquor store on his way home. He wondered about the kind of wine he should be purchasing as his steak partner, when a knock on the door interrupted his thought.<p>

He looked up and glanced at the clock before answering, "Come in."  
>7PM - not a time that someone would still be hanging around this office, not even Nami, when he told her to stop doing over-time a week ago.<p>

The door cracked open slowly, and an orange head poked in cautiously. "Sanji?"  
>Sanji crooked his head curiously, "Nami. How come you are still around?"<br>Nami slipped into his office, and carefully closed the door behind her before answering, "Are you busy at the moment? Could I have a word with you?"  
>Sanji gave the lady standing in front of him a very good look. She is still in the clothing from earlier today when she came to work, everything seemed to be somewhat normal. But her brows are deeply furrowed, clearly showing her worries and concern, although she tried hard to keep the neutral expression on her face. "I suppose it is something urgent for you to return here to find me."<p>

Nami hesitated for a couple more seconds before she finalized on a decision, her voice filled with uncertainty and fear, "Have you seen Nojiko?"  
>Sanji wasn't quite surprised to hear this name in her question, but was more concerned of why she has asked. "I had coffee with her yesterday, but haven't heard from her since. What's going on?"<br>Nami clutched her phone in both hands in front of her chest, "…. I think she might be in trouble…"

They drove around the city three times that evening, and visited every place that Nojiko could have went, but at the end of the night, Nami sat in the passenger's seat lost in thought. Sanji didn't say much that night. He even gave up on saying "Don't worry" after they have failed to locate Nojiko after the second time they went around the city. Nami has been calling her sister every five minutes, and has drained her phone battery completely. Sanji has offered her his own phone, but now Nami only stared at it in silence. Her head is down, and her hand clutched tightly on the phone - so tight, her knuckles turned white.  
>Sanji reached over, and gently placed a hand over hers. Nami shook at the contact, but her fingers loosened around the phone, "I should probably call her place, maybe she was just delayed by business, and just returned home." Her voice sounded distant, and Sanji saw fear in her eyes when she momentarily looked up.<br>He tightened his grip on her hand, and stopped her from dialing. "What you need right now is rest. Leave the rest to me."

His words felt like a stream of light which shone into her darkness. Nami felt her eyes getting hot, and next thing she knows, a drop of crystal tear splashed on their linked hands.  
>Sanji said no more, and only allowed her to sob away quietly as he starred into the star-filled sky. His eyes shimmered at a sudden thought formed in his head. But he brushed it away for the time-being, and reached to the back seat for a box of tissue. Nami accepted the offer without looking up. She took a couple deep breaths before returning the phone to Sanji.<br>Sanji watched as she forced out a smile, "You are right.. Maybe I'll be able to think better if I can get some sleep."

With that, she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car, and walked to her apartment without looking back. She doesn't want to show him her tears - the weak side of her. She doesn't want anyone to see her when her last line of defense is broken down like this. But this doesn't make any sense. Nojiko never lose contact with her like this. Even if her battery died throughout the day, she would still contact her to let her know somehow.  
>Her tears kept on rolling down her face as she feared for the worst. What if..<p>

~*~  
>Sanji give his idea another hard thought before picking up the phone and dialed a series of numbers.<br>"I think they're finally making a move. I'm activating the unit." He said in a grave voice. His face was shadowed in the dark. He listened a bit more, and his face grew more serious as time went by. He reached into his jacket to fish out his pack of cigarette and took a long drag before he said to the person on the other end, "You either need to trust him, or trust yourself on this. But I need the unit." With that he hang up the phone.

He sat quietly in the dark. The only thing that showed he was still awake was the red dot that briefly lights up as he took another drag at his cigarette.


End file.
